In our area the hogs are considered a nuisance/pest species that is legal to hunt throughout the year. Many of them are not large bodied, weighing maybe 60-70 lbs. Any hog that runs over 150 lbs. is a nice animal. Some of the men in my area own hog operations. I've seen the size of hogs that they tell me are market ready... usually around 200 lb. or more. Compared by apparent size to those market ready hogs, the ones that I have seen in the woods and standing down in the ditches while on my way to the nursing home are at least equal if not larger.
I do not consider that hog hunting is "dangerous." However, if you are out in the woods hunting at the edge of night in heavy cover, maybe you might have a problem. I have used my M-1 w/ either Lake City or Greek HXP M-2 ball, a retired police M-12 Winchester riot gun (w/ buckshot), a cutdown Krag in .30-40 and a M-94 .30-30 Winchester. My brother preferred a 1894 Marlin in .44 Magnum and a 6" S&W .44 Magnum M-29. Hit through the boiler room, they all fall down and die. Hit wrong, they run.
That having been said, when one gets out of the woods and goes down into the swamps, things can change. I have seen a number of very large hogs shot, shot incidentally while out hunting deer. One in particular was large enough that his head hung out the tailgate of a shortbed pickup truck. From the appearance of the teeth that such hogs carry, one of these animals could most certainly seriously injury anyone or anything to which they decided to direct their attention.
I wouldn't shoot anything just to shoot it. There are plenty of targets for target shooting and plinking. But in my state, there is no season on hogs. Thus one can hunt them throughout the year. In my pastoral visitation, I have often carried either one of my 03-A3's or my SA 5.9 in the car along with a few clips of its preferred Greek HXP M-2. I would not use such ammo on deer. I keep a clip of Rem. 150 gr. PSP for such work. And on those occasions when opportunity has knocked, I have been known to tuck my pants into a pair of rubber boots and ease down into the woods ... when I have permission to hunt on that land... and see what I can do with a deer, or a hog or a turkey.
